The Line Between Predator and Prey
by joelcoxriley
Summary: When she saw Kid, the strange woman was stunned by her defying confidence and inner fire. Yet the more she admired the thief, the more she began to fear Kid, for these feelings she felt were not meant for another woman, but for a man. Thinking back, the woman wondered how everything spun so quickly out of control.


**Hello! I recently became nostalgic with Chrono Cross, and came I with this. Unfortunately, I forget most of the characterizations for the wonderful characters, so I chose Kid. And hence my OC to be paired up with Kid other than Serge. Originally it was going to be an Oblivion/Chrono Cross story, but it barely has anything from Oblivion in it, and really only has references. I hope you enjoy! I tried to focus on what would go through someone's mind, so it skips around from time to time. I do not own anything accept Shea.**

* * *

"And what is your name?"

"Kid." The young woman replied, her blue eyes scanning the woman with red eyes before her, as if judging, "You?"

"Shealyne." The woman before her replied, Kid's nose scrunching.

"Shealyne? What the bloody hell's that?"

"What is kid but a young goat weened for slaughter?"

"Ya know what? I have a feeling you and me are gonna be real good mates." Kid stated, a confident smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth, eyes shining with a victorious light, as if the young blonde had already won.

"Heh. We shall surely see." Shealyne responded, lips tugging into a smug half smile, teeth refusing to show.

* * *

"Bad dream, eh?" Kid asked, Shealyne startled as she looked at the girl sitting beside the fire that crackled and popped softly in the chill night air.

"You can say that." Shealyne replied, voice quavering gently as her heart hammered in her chest, a cold film of sweat covered her.

"Don' feel bad, mate. I get 'em all the time." Kid responded, smiling despite her sullen statement, brilliant blue eyes shining in the light of the fire.

"Not like mine you don't." Shealyne replied, laughing gently against the heat of the flame, red eyes shining duly, "Can't you sleep?"

"Naw. Been thinkin' too much." Kid replied, her leg swinging almost childishly over the ruin she sat on, fingering the handle of her dagger.

"It's a beautiful night out tonight. I can see the moons." Shealyne commented, looking into the night sky to see two moons, one red, and the other blue.

"Yeah, they are pretty." Kid replied, eyes reflecting millions of stars as she stared at the night sky, lips moving softly, as if thinking.

"Hey, Shea? Do ya ever think there's somethin' up there watching us? Like a greater power?" Kid asked, blue eyes locking onto the woman's red as Shealyne remained quiet for several seconds.

"If there were, I would not be sick as I am." Shealyne responded, Kid looking at the woman, unreadable.

"What of you? What do you think?" Shealyne asked.

"I think it's a load of bull. Yeah, some greater power is really watching over me with the crummy hand I've been dealt with. Bloody hell." Kid muttered, cheeks blowing up as air rushed out if her mouth, the pair falling silent.

"Ya never told me what yer sick with. What is it?" Kid asked, looking at the woman with curiosity who had now stood up, approaching her.

"Before you ask what it is, no, it's not contagious." Shealyne replied, smiling as Kid laughed, moving over for the woman to sit next to her.

"Good! I don' want no crummy doctor robbing me blind! That's my job!" Kid replied, laughing as Shealyne chuckled, eyes alight.

"Oh, so you're a little thief are you? I'll have to watch out for you." Shealyne replied, though with her tone it was difficult to tell whether it was a joke, "But, to answer your question...I have a...rare defect. Eating most foods makes me terribly ill, and sick. And I happen to like being healthy and not puking my guts out every time I try to eat. So I find that certain...fluids allow me to eat better." Shealyne replied, eyes suddenly becoming fixated upon the way the flame illuminated upon the girl's body, eyes trailing to her delicate neck.

"That sounds terrible. When was the last time ya ate?" Kid asked, noticing that the woman's eyes were no longer on her face, but on her chest. Shealyne's red irises then snapped up towards the girl, Kid's oceanic blue eyes sparkling in the flame, her blonde hair seeming more golden.

"Not in a while. That amulet is beautiful. Where did you get it?" Shealyne asked, Kid looking at her briefly before looking at the amulet on her neck.

"Oh, this? When I was little...I had no family. I was raised in an orphanage, and Lucca...she helped us all. Sis, we called her, 'cause in a lot of ways she was our big sister. Sis gave me this amulet before...it happened." Kid broken off, looking away into the fire, and Shealyne could see the tears that rested gently within the girl's lashes.

"There...there was a fire...and ev...everyone burned." Kid spoked, strong voice quavering as a tear slowly slid down her cheek. Shealyne's eyes softened, pity spreading throughout her being. And never more than now did have the overwhelm urge to make physical contact with the young girl, to show her that she was here.

Shealyne looked towards the girl's small hands, thin, fragile, and graceful. So beautiful compared her own hands, which would become more boney as her disease progressed.

Without thinking, Shealyne gently grabbed the girl's hand, holding it as she briefly wondered if this is what normal humans do. For such a small girl, Kid seemed to give off so much warmth.

Kid looked at the woman's hand that was gently holding hers, blue eyes now shining with the waves of the ocean as she looked towards Shealyne.

"Thanks. Yer hand is cold." Kid stated, Shealyne suddenly averting her gaze, as if embarrassed.

"Sorry." Shealyne mumbled, red eyes burning into the fire as she felt a much stronger warmth envelope her hand, Kid giving a firm hold. It was strange. She gave off more warmth and...Shealyne dared to think...comfort in the thief's hold.

"Thank you." Shealyne replied, Kid smiling.

"Hey, no problem, Shea."

Silence then fell over the pair, Shealyne feeling Kid rub her hand over Shealyne's colder one, as if in an attempt to warm her. Shealyne found her eyes trailing to the girl's neck once more, almost automatically. It was strange. She was not hungry, yet her body was showing signs that it was time to hunt, to feed. Yet she felt no desire to feed, and was simply content with staring at the girl's body. It was in every way conflicting.

Red irises quickly snapped up to meet the thief's oceanic blue eyes, both women smiling softly at one another as Shealyne took in every detail of the girl's face. Only when her eyes trailed to the girl's lips and lingered did her heart quicken in terror. Only when her lips began to part ever so slightly did she then fully realize.

In terror, Shealyne jerked her fragile hand away from the thief's grip, startling the girl by her as well.

"Woah! You al'ight? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Kid asked, concern etched with her voice as Shealyne held her hand, as if broken.

"I am fine. I just...saw something, and...it startled me." Shealyne responded, Kid's eyes softening in an almost playful manner.

"Aww. I didn't know you were chicken." Kid spoke, a playful tone in her voice as Shealyne stammered.

"I am not chicken." Shealyne stated, eyes still glued to the girl, mind racing.

"Ch-iiiiiiicken! Bawk! Bawk! Chicken!" Kid teased, eyes shining, as if challenging the woman to protest.

"I am n-"

"Chicken! Ch-ch-ch-chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicken! Chi-" Kid was cut off as the woman suddenly grabbed her wrist, Shealyne's grip tight against the girl, red irises rising to meet blue.

Both remained silent with their physical contact, the heat of the flame juxtaposing the chill in the air as Kid's breath remained visible, Shealyne's less so as she studied the girl before her. She was warm, and her pulse was strong. Her skin was so warm and soft, not calloused and cold. And her eyes. Those pretty blue eyes that seemed to hold all the stars...what was the world like through those beautiful eyes? Through those beautiful human eyes?

Shealyne suddenly felt a cold wave of terror wash over her, crush her chest and strike her down. It was impossible. There was no way that she could be attracted to another woman, much less a girl. She had never looked at another before with such intensity, even when hungry. No. It was impossible, and that was final. Yet, why was she showing an unconscious level of interest in her friend? Why did she crave the warmth that this girl brought upon her from physical contact? Looking upon the girl, thinking about her, thinking about what Kid might have thought of her, it made Shealyne's stomach clench. Fuck.

Guilt quickly overpowered the woman, as she thought about the situation. Her Brother would not approve. Her Brother would never approve. And that fact that she was even...considering a woman when she already had a partner was frightening. She was betraying her Brother, and the more the woman dwelled on it, the more her terror and guilt gave way to...excitement? Was that it? She wasn't sure.

Opening her mouth slightly, Shealyne slowly closed the distance between the pair, stopping just inches from Kid's face. She wasn't sure what she was doing, wasn't sure what she was thinking, and the look on Kid's face, her eyes, showed complete shock and confusion.

"I...am not chicken." Shealyne stated, pausing for several seconds as she slowly put space between them, letting go of Kid's wrist.

"We'll if yer not, then prove it." Kid challenged, Shealyne looking at the woman with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"What? Ya think I'mma dummy? I've seen how ya've been lookin' at me. I know those looks real well with them boys thinkin' I'mma cute little girl. I may be younger than ya, but I ain't dumb, Shea." Kid stated, harsh voice softening as Shealyne's eyes adverted to the ground, ashamed.

"Why aren't ya lookin' at me? Why ain't ya lookin' at me anymore, Shea?" Kid asked, moving closer, Shealyne's eyes suddenly darting up to look at the girl, pupils constricted.

"No...no, I...my brother...he won't approve..." Shealyne shook her head.

"Well yer brother isn't here, now." Kid stated, Shealyne beginning to feel like a cornered animal. No matter how much she wanted to restrain herself, no matter how strong her fear, her guilt was, it was nothing compared to the excitement that was coursing through her body, making her want, making her crave, making her need.

"I...I've...never been...attracted to another woman before." Shealyne replied weakly, her hands trembling, wanting to grab, wanting to hold, wanting to feel. The dark desire within the woman only rose as the thief laughed softly to the woman's statement.

"Ya know what, mate?" Kid asked, Shealyne stiffening as the girl closed the distance between them, her body mere inches away, "Neither have I."

Shealyne left out a startled yelp as the girl lunged and wrapped her arms around the woman's neck, breathless gasps and moans filling the air as an invading tongue slipped into Shealyne's mouth.

"Meh hmmm hm."

"Meh eeeeern."

"What the bloody hell ya tryin' to say?!" Kid broke off the kiss suddenly, gasping as she was pinned to the ground, Shealyne smirking above the trapped thief.

"My turn."

* * *

'Sithis...what the fuck did I do?' Shealyne thought to herself, eyes staring, unblinking into the night sky.

A film of sweat had covered the woman's body, goose bumps breaking out over her skin as she lay vulnerable in the chill night air, the fire long dead. The only source of warmth Shealyne now had was the small girl that lay next to her, Kid's arms wrapped around the woman as her head lay on her chest.

Shealyne tried her best to completely ignore the thief, her mind replaying the events again and again in horror. Shealyne had never thought that she would ever do the things she did, and the worst part was she never even knew how it spun so quickly out of control.

She felt dirty, she felt party degraded, she felt like she was doing something wrong, but most of all Shealyne felt the overwhelming sense of guilt.

Silently, Shealyne squirmed out of Kid's grip, trying not to wake her as Kid stirred.

"Heeeey...where ya'...goin'?" Kid asked with a deep yawn, the thief stretching lazily as a soft moan escaped her lips.

"To the lake. I want to...go for a swim." Shealyne replied, covering her exposed breasts from the girl's eyes, as if she had never seen them. It was partly from the cold.

"Oh...I see...I'll...catcha' 'ater." Kid mumbled, in a light stupor before setting down once more.

Arriving at the lake, Shealyne stared at the gentle ripple in the waves, the moon and stars being reflected into the shallow waters.

Slowly, Shealyne made her way into the shallows, grimacing as the cold water lapped at her fragile body, the woman forcing herself to until the water reached her thighs.

With an underlying desperation, Shealyne scooped the water into her hands and began to scrub herself with urgency. She wanted everything to be washed away. All the sweat, all the saliva, all the fluid. Everything. Shealyne could think of nothing else as she submerged herself underneath the waves, gasping as she broke the surface, her hair blinding her sight.

While the water could wash away the physical evidence, it could not wash away the memories that were now burned within her mind. And the more the woman dwelled upon the memories, the more she realized how degrading she really was, and the more she realized, the more the guilt grew.

Not once did she think about Mathieu. Not once. Not once did she think about how he would be affected, how much he would be hurt. How much he would be betrayed. She didn't care, and that was what was killing her the most.

Shealyne didn't care that she was throwing away what...two, three years of her partnership. During those years, Mathieu had given everything to ensure she was happy, and in the end this is the thanks the man was getting.

The woman's shoulders began to tremble, Shealyne hugging herself as tears rolled down her nose and into the waters below.

"You al'ight, Shea?" Shealyne froze as she heard the thief's voice over the sloshing of water, the woman slowly turning toward the source.

"Yes, I am." Shealyne responded, quavering slightly as Kid got into the water.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" Kid asked, Shealyne moving towards the shore, intent on leaving the area.

"I'm getting my clothes." Shealyne responded, walking passed Kid only to be stopped by the thief's grip.

"Now hold on just a bloody second! Ever since we fucked you haven't said a word to me! What's wrong? Huh? What?" Kid asked, Shealyne's eyes locked on the disgusting, filthy hand that was contaminating her skin. Shealyne's red irises flicked towards the theif's, blue eyes storming with rage and...sadness? Despite the harsh tone in her voice was she...upset? Hurt?

Shealyne's face suddenly began to flush as Kid's words sunk into her. 'Fucked'? That's all she thought of what happened? Just a fuck?

While relief soothed her body, Shealyne couldn't help but feel used by the simple word, hurt even. She had completely exposed herself to this girl, and Kid was showing her no respect.

"Nothing is wrong." Shealyne stated, wrenching her wrist free only to have Kid grasp her arm again.

"Like bloody hell there isn't!"

Shealyne turned in rage, mouth open to release a hiss only to freeze upon seeing the look on Kid's face. It appeared as if she were about to cry. Guilt and pity made their presence known to the woman, and Shealyne became lax.

"Shea, tell me. Tell me right now. What's bothering ya?"

"My Brother would never approve." Shealyne replied softly after a few second's pause, Kid's eyes softening.

"But he's not here now."

"That's what you said earlier. This...this is wrong..." Shealyne faltered as Kid approached, closing what little space they had between them as the thief kissed the woman.

"Only if you think it's wrong, Shea." Kid replied, Shealyne staying silent. Everything within her screamed it was wrong, yet if her Brother never found out, who would she be hurting?

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! If I write a second chapter, it will take place further back in time to show what events led to this. I tried to get what the human mind may go through. Hope you enjoyed and have a good day!**


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